The present invention generally relates to a device having disinfecting properties, and more specifically, to a capping device for disinfecting needles, catheters, spikes and other sharp medical objects.
Infected (contaminated) needles, catheters, and spikes, are the major risk factor for the development of bloodstream infections. They are usually used to inject or withdraw medications, fluid, and blood products by penetrating different types of membranes or, in some cases, a patient's skin.
Scrubbing of these membranes or a patient's skin with alcohol for 10-60 seconds is recommended before each use, but this procedure is often omitted by medical professionals. This leads to potential contamination of needles, catheters and spikes. When these contaminated objects are used to penetrate another clean membrane, they may cause bloodstream infection. Needles, catheters, and spikes can also get contaminated when they are left open without a protective cover on a contaminated surface. Studies have shown better results in reducing infection with different types of alcohol impregnated protectors.
Needles and other sharp objects arrive at hospitals in sterile, sealed packages. However, once a medical professional opens the package, the needle is exposed to a potentially contaminated environment. Usually, a needle is attached to a syringe, when it is used to draw medication from a vial or an IV bag, or when it is used to inject medication. When the needle or any other sharp object is separated from the plastic cover it may be placed on a potentially contaminated surface.
While it is not recommended to use the same needle or some other sharp medical object more than once, there are circumstances where this practice is necessary and justified. Sometimes during a surgery, a medical provider has to repeatedly draw the medication from the same vial or the same IV bag within a few hours. Providers usually use the same needle attached to the same syringe labeled for that medication. While using the needle to draw medication from the vial, a plastic cover is usually placed on the same surface which might be contaminated. The plastic cover is then placed at the top of the needle, and if this cover is contaminated, it will contaminate the needle too. Needles, spikes, and other sharp medical objects can also get contaminated when they are used to penetrate the contaminated rubber membrane of the vial or an IV bag injection port, if the sharp medical objects are not wiped with alcohol before penetration.
An example of using the same needle and the same syringe for multiple penetrations of vials and IV bags is getting an additional volume of muscle relaxant from the same vial while using the same needle and the same syringe already labeled with the medication. Another example is when a provider in a heart room penetrates an IV bag with phenylephrine, epinephrine or norepinephrine multiple times with the same needle attached to the same syringe. This is a common and accepted practice. Occasionally, under pressure and stress, providers may utilize the same needle or some other sharp object even in cases where this should not be done.
Multiple uses of the same needles and poor aseptic techniques are prevalent in the intravenous drug abuser population as well as patients in underdeveloped countries. Although the goal should remain to provide sterile, single use needles and syringes, the capping device would be able to help a non-compliant group of this population reduce the number of HIV, Hepatitis C and B, and bacterial endocarditis cases. This is especially the case when this device would be used together with the disinfecting luer connecting device. The device would also help the population of the underdeveloped countries where medical supplies are difficult to find.
Thus, there remains a need for a convenient and reliable disinfecting capping device that would allow medical professionals to carry out multiple drawings, injections, or penetrations without causing contamination and blood stream infection.